Sample Iraqi Ballot
Right here in the middle of Red Chicago, Iraqis started down the road that will bring then a new government.Iraqi expatriates Begin Voting in U.S. This is truly a historic moment for both Iraqi and American and most important Iraqi-American relations.
"Ten to 20 years from now, all the generations will remember that this is the first time we practiced our freedom of choice,' said Alshimmari, 49, who worked as a history teacher and was jailed by Saddam before leaving Iraq in 1991."
As Red and Blue Americans, lets stop bickering about the small stuff and work together to bring this young democracy into the 21 century not as an enemy but as a powerful ally.
First the good news, the 2nd appeals court has
thrown out that ridiculous lawsuit blaming McDonald's for people being overweight. These frivolous lawsuits cost taxpayers millions to fight and even more if your a consumer of the target company. Why do I sound pessimistic if the lawsuit was overturned. Because it never stops.
Trial lawyers, led by George Washington University law professor John Banzhaf, are planning a wave of lawsuits trying to turn food companies and restaurants into their next cash cow. Banzhaf plans “to sue them and sue them and sue them.” Somewhere, he argues, “there is going to be a judge and a jury that will buy this, and once we get the first verdict ... it will open the floodgates.”
Now that they think they have a winner, they are going fishing. All of us here in Illinois know where there is good fishing, right here in good old Madison County.
If you want to know what is
really happening politically over Iraq, here is some good analysis from your friends over at
Discursive Recursions: Iraq and a Hard Place
Here is just the most recent example of politicians making rules for you that they don't have to live by.
Illinois Senator exempt the Senate floor from
Public Areas Smoking Ban. That right, while you have to go outside in the middle of winter and stand 50 feet from any public entryway, your senators are puffing away, hard at work on the Senate Floor. And why did Sen. Dennis Jacobs say he was smoking at work "boredom mostly" - Spike O'Dell show 01/26/05
Like I said, that is only a small local example, the feds have been doing it for years. They make a government run pension account (social security), but they don't have to pay into it. They make you go to a HMO/PPO and pay for you proscription drugs under Medicare/aid, but they can pick any doctor they want and have their prescriptions paid for. Soon thanks to Bush a little equity is coming back into the system. People are getting Drug coverage just like politicians, and just maybe government employees will have to pay into Social Security just like the rest of us.
In the most unsupprising move of the year Dick-head Durbin and the
Senate Democrats Speak of Slowing Senate. Not only are they going to try and stop any and all of Presidents Buses adjenda through
proceedual manovers, not actuall votes.
In some respects, said one Democratic lawmaker who asked not to be named because his words were so blunt, they have little choice given their predicament as the party far out of power. "The truth is, you have no place else to go when your back is against the wall," he said.
I'm not aware of the Senate Democrates giving the President a Honeymoon, but that is what the crazy man said.
"The honeymoon is over and we are now in the full throes of our new marital arrangement here," said Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the Democratic
whip, after he and other Democratic leaders introduced a priority list on Monday
sharply at odds with that put forward by Republicans.
I keep seeing an important story, but it never seems to make it to the
"Big Blue 3". This Iraqis election isn't only about whether Baghdad has 100% turnout rate. There are over 200,000 Iraqis citizens eligible to vote here in the United States alone,.
and Chicago area Iraqis are excited to register to vote Already there are approximately
188,000 Iraqis registered and waiting to cast their ballots. These Iraqis represent the people that were terrorized under Saddam and had to flee for their lives. They deserve this timely vote and a voice in their mother country. Chicago is a central front in this registration process as
Iraqis from around U.S. register here for historic vote. We must remember that this vote isn't just about Baghdad Iraqis, but all Iraqis. Including those forced from their homes and especially those that have paid with their lives.
President Bush 2005
Congratulations to President Bush and the American people on the occasion of his inauguration to a second term as President of the United States. Only the 16th time in American history that a President has been given Multiple terms.
President Bush's Inaugural Address
Vice President Cheney, Mr. Chief Justice, President Carter, President Bush, President Clinton, reverend clergy, distinguished guests, fellow citizens:
On this day, prescribed by law and marked by ceremony, we celebrate the durable wisdom of our Constitution, and recall the deep commitments that unite our country. I am grateful for the honor of this hour, mindful of the consequential times in which we live, and determined to fulfill the oath that I have sworn and you have witnessed.
At this second gathering, our duties are defined not by the words I use, but by the history we have seen together. For a half century, America defended our own freedom by standing watch on distant borders. After the shipwreck of communism came years of relative quiet, years of repose, years of sabbatical - and then there came a day of fire.
We have seen our vulnerability - and we have seen its deepest source. For as long as whole regions of the world simmer in resentment and tyranny - prone to ideologies that feed hatred and excuse murder - violence will gather, and multiply in destructive power, and cross the most defended borders, and raise a mortal threat. There is only one force of history that can break the reign of hatred and resentment, and expose the pretensions of tyrants, and reward the hopes of the decent and tolerant, and that is the force of human freedom.
We are led, by events and common sense, to one conclusion: The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.
America's vital interests and our deepest beliefs are now one. From the day of our Founding, we have proclaimed that every man and woman on this earth has rights, and dignity, and matchless value, because they bear the image of the Maker of Heaven and earth. Across the generations we have proclaimed the imperative of self-government, because no one is fit to be a master, and no one deserves to be a slave. Advancing these ideals is the mission that created our Nation. It is the honorable achievement of our fathers. Now it is the urgent requirement of our nation's security, and the calling of our time.
So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.
This is not primarily the task of arms, though we will defend ourselves and our friends by force of arms when necessary. Freedom, by its nature, must be chosen, and defended by citizens, and sustained by the rule of law and the protection of minorities. And when the soul of a nation finally speaks, the institutions that arise may reflect customs and traditions very different from our own. America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling. Our goal instead is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom, and make their own way.
The great objective of ending tyranny is the concentrated work of generations. The difficulty of the task is no excuse for avoiding it. America's influence is not unlimited, but fortunately for the oppressed, America's influence is considerable, and we will use it confidently in freedom's cause.
My most solemn duty is to protect this nation and its people against further attacks and emerging threats. Some have unwisely chosen to test America's resolve, and have found it firm.
We will persistently clarify the choice before every ruler and every nation: The moral choice between oppression, which is always wrong, and freedom, which is eternally right. America will not pretend that jailed dissidents prefer their chains, or that women welcome humiliation and servitude, or that any human being aspires to live at the mercy of bullies.
We will encourage reform in other governments by making clear that success in our relations will require the decent treatment of their own people. America's belief in human dignity will guide our policies, yet rights must be more than the grudging concessions of dictators; they are secured by free dissent and the participation of the governed. In the long run, there is no justice without freedom, and there can be no human rights without human liberty.
Some, I know, have questioned the global appeal of liberty - though this time in history, four decades defined by the swiftest advance of freedom ever seen, is an odd time for doubt. Americans, of all people, should never be surprised by the power of our ideals. Eventually, the call of freedom comes to every mind and every soul. We do not accept the existence of permanent tyranny because we do not accept the possibility of permanent slavery. Liberty will come to those who love it.
Today, America speaks anew to the peoples of the world:
All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: the United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you.
Democratic reformers facing repression, prison, or exile can know: America sees you for who you are: the future leaders of your free country.
The rulers of outlaw regimes can know that we still believe as Abraham Lincoln did: "Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves; and, under the rule of a just God, cannot long retain it."
The leaders of governments with long habits of control need to know: To serve your people you must learn to trust them. Start on this journey of progress and justice, and America will walk at your side.
And all the allies of the United States can know: we honor your friendship, we rely on your counsel, and we depend on your help. Division among free nations is a primary goal of freedom's enemies. The concerted effort of free nations to promote democracy is a prelude to our enemies' defeat.
Today, I also speak anew to my fellow citizens:
From all of you, I have asked patience in the hard task of securing America, which you have granted in good measure. Our country has accepted obligations that are difficult to fulfill, and would be dishonorable to abandon. Yet because we have acted in the great liberating tradition of this nation, tens of millions have achieved their freedom. And as hope kindles hope, millions more will find it. By our efforts, we have lit a fire as well - a fire in the minds of men. It warms those who feel its power, it burns those who fight its progress, and one day this untamed fire of freedom will reach the darkest corners of our world.
A few Americans have accepted the hardest duties in this cause - in the quiet work of intelligence and diplomacy ... the idealistic work of helping raise up free governments ... the dangerous and necessary work of fighting our enemies. Some have shown their devotion to our country in deaths that honored their whole lives - and we will always honor their names and their sacrifice.
All Americans have witnessed this idealism, and some for the first time. I ask our youngest citizens to believe the evidence of your eyes. You have seen duty and allegiance in the determined faces of our soldiers. You have seen that life is fragile, and evil is real, and courage triumphs. Make the choice to serve in a cause larger than your wants, larger than yourself - and in your days you will add not just to the wealth of our country, but to its character.
America has need of idealism and courage, because we have essential work at home - the unfinished work of American freedom. In a world moving toward liberty, we are determined to show the meaning and promise of liberty.
In America's ideal of freedom, citizens find the dignity and security of economic independence, instead of laboring on the edge of subsistence. This is the broader definition of liberty that motivated the Homestead Act, the Social Security Act, and the G.I. Bill of Rights. And now we will extend this vision by reforming great institutions to serve the needs of our time. To give every American a stake in the promise and future of our country, we will bring the highest standards to our schools, and build an ownership society. We will widen the ownership of homes and businesses, retirement savings and health insurance - preparing our people for the challenges of life in a free society. By making every citizen an agent of his or her own destiny, we will give our fellow Americans greater freedom from want and fear, and make our society more prosperous and just and equal.
In America's ideal of freedom, the public interest depends on private character - on integrity, and tolerance toward others, and the rule of conscience in our own lives. Self-government relies, in the end, on the governing of the self. That edifice of character is built in families, supported by communities with standards, and sustained in our national life by the truths of Sinai, the Sermon on the Mount, the words of the Koran, and the varied faiths of our people. Americans move forward in every generation by reaffirming all that is good and true that came before - ideals of justice and conduct that are the same yesterday, today, and forever.
In America's ideal of freedom, the exercise of rights is ennobled by service, and mercy, and a heart for the weak. Liberty for all does not mean independence from one another. Our nation relies on men and women who look after a neighbor and surround the lost with love. Americans, at our best, value the life we see in one another, and must always remember that even the unwanted have worth. And our country must abandon all the habits of racism, because we cannot carry the message of freedom and the baggage of bigotry at the same time.
From the perspective of a single day, including this day of dedication, the issues and questions before our country are many. From the viewpoint of centuries, the questions that come to us are narrowed and few. Did our generation advance the cause of freedom? And did our character bring credit to that cause?
These questions that judge us also unite us, because Americans of every party and background, Americans by choice and by birth, are bound to one another in the cause of freedom. We have known divisions, which must be healed to move forward in great purposes - and I will strive in good faith to heal them. Yet those divisions do not define America. We felt the unity and fellowship of our nation when freedom came under attack, and our response came like a single hand over a single heart. And we can feel that same unity and pride whenever America acts for good, and the victims of disaster are given hope, and the unjust encounter justice, and the captives are set free.
We go forward with complete confidence in the eventual triumph of freedom. Not because history runs on the wheels of inevitability; it is human choices that move events. Not because we consider ourselves a chosen nation; God moves and chooses as He wills. We have confidence because freedom is the permanent hope of mankind, the hunger in dark places, the longing of the soul. When our Founders declared a new order of the ages; when soldiers died in wave upon wave for a union based on liberty; when citizens marched in peaceful outrage under the banner "Freedom Now" - they were acting on an ancient hope that is meant to be fulfilled. History has an ebb and flow of justice, but history also has a visible direction, set by liberty and the Author of Liberty.
When the Declaration of Independence was first read in public and the Liberty Bell was sounded in celebration, a witness said, "It rang as if it meant something." In our time it means something still. America, in this young century, proclaims liberty throughout all the world, and to all the inhabitants thereof. Renewed in our strength - tested, but not weary - we are ready for the greatest achievements in the history of freedom.
May God bless you, and may He watch over the United States of America.
What a crowd!!!
family values
Inaugural walk 2005
Bush's Inaugural 2005
Bi-partisan support
There back, those hilarious political cartoons by Jib Jab. Don't worry there is great humor here for both
Red and
Blue a like. Follow this
Jib Jab link for an inaugural good time.
This sad article needs no explaining, but I wouldn't want you to have read it.
The Red Sea (Subscription) I have been following this
David Von Drehle for some time now and I'll have some unique analysis soon. For now just realize that this was probably the first trip outside of Manhattan for Mr. VonDrehle and it takes time to turn the Titanic around, even in the
Red Chicago Sea
Look for this new round of social Security lies to make the democrats talking points. Taking the lead from a AP reporter, liberals are now trying to scare all of us who love and care for people with disabilities. This is sad and sickening, but luckily the story is so full of lies, I doubt many will be fooled.
I hate to give them a plug here, but look at this headline
Bush Plan May Reduce Disability Benefits.
Disgusting, and to make it worse there isn't anything in the story to back it up. In fact quite the opposite. Look at this quote from a leading conservative group that was
in the story.
"The proper way to deal with this is to essentially make it clear that these are two different programs and to separate the benefit formulas," said David John, Social Security senior analyst at the conservative Heritag Foundation.
"One is an insurance program and one is essentially a retirement program," John said. "They have vastly different characteristics, they have vastly different administrative structures."
And also
in the story is President Bush's plan. Unbelievable!!
The commission plan is serving as a blueprint for legislation the Bush administration would like Congress to consider. Bush's commission did not recommend changes for the disability program and cautioned that the benefit reductions shouldn't be viewed as a suggestion.
The story should be headlined
President Bush Plans No Change for Social Security Insurance . When will they get it.
A New Gateway
35th Street Bridge
Finally, we here along the lake shore are getting a little relief. For years the bridges that cross over the three lane highway known affectionately here as LSD have been falling apart, no joke, the concrete has fallen and hit cars. The city has finally started to plan their replacements. They held a design challenge and have now picked the winners for "
Bridging the Drive". They received some really good entries and I hope that you all check them out.
Why, why did it have to happen to such a great couple. They have everything, don't they, what could have happened to split them up?
Answer: George W. Bush and the Failure of the Israeli-Palestinian peace plan.
Brad and Jen built their hopes of a loving, long relationship on the foundation of their Middle-East peace plan. After
Brad and Jennifer failed at Mid-East diplomacy their relationship starts to fall apart. There was no hope that they would be able to shape the world in their vision. Then the unthinkable happened, after spending the whole year throwing all their "star power"
behind John Kerry, he still couldn't pull off an easy win over that horrible
George W. Bush.
When Brad Pitt Said;
"We've got two distinct futures facing us and that will be determined November 2nd, so know who you're voting for, know who you're voting against. Know what you stand for, it's very important."
I think he had two distinct futures for him and Jennifer in mind at the time.
With the world going downhill fast, there was no way Jennifer was going to bring a child into this world ruled by Evil Red States. We all knew about Brad and Jen's disagreement about children, but know you all know why!!!
The story that launched a thousand Blogs, at least mine anyway, has a little happy ending. Not the one we all wanted, but did you really think anything was going to change over there. Just be happy that
CBS Fires 4 After Bush Guard Story Review. It's a start.
Don't forget to read the
complete CBS Report.
I'm going to include this
CBS storyCBS story of the CBS scandal also. At first I found it ridiculous that they would be doing the story at all, but it is better coverage than some of the other media hacks.
The Illinois state comptroller,
Dan Hynes (D), has decided to jump into a political minefield. I'll try the map his course and see if he steps onto anything that will destroy his future ambitions. This minefield is Stem-cell research funding in Illinois. He is taking the lead in spearheading a similar ballot initiative to California's, spearheaded there by Arnold Swarteneger. Please take the time to read
Hynes's Proposed Creation of Stem Cell Research Institute. He would like to fund additional research here in Illinois in order to attract "top of their field" Scientist and teachers. While this is an admirable goal for Illinois, I believe he is missing the point.
Embryonic Stem cell research isn't about "research" it's about "human-research", should we, as a society, perform human research in search of a wonder cure-all. I'll be discussing that more if this goes further, but for now I'm going to support Dan Hynes, not for his proposal, but for his understanding of America. He isn't trying to force this on us, like his anti-religious brethren, his is trying to take this issue to the people.
Hynes deserves applause for tackling a controversial idea that has tremendous potential, proposing a thoughtful approach and a well-designed funding mechanism. Putting the issue before the people in a referendum is the right approach... The Daily Southtown, Dec 8, 2004
President Bush did the right thing by not universally allowing funding for something that many see as morally wrong, Dan Hynes proposal allows the people of Illinois to decide if they think its morally wrong, different states will come to different conclusions on that issue and that’s the way it should be.
Illinois should vote this issue "up or down" in 2006
Not only are Americans the most giving people in the world, but we are the only nation who could come close to liberation two countries, (Afghanistan, and Iraq for those in Blue Chicago)and use the military to
help many countries in their time of need.
If you looking for a inside look at the president's recent trip into Class action county, IL visit
respublica. They have a great accounting of what has gone on the past week.
I can't believe what I'm seeing! The only person willing to look past partisan bickering and help needy people on the otherside of the globe, is a democrat that could'y put America a head(no pun intended) of his willy!
USA Freedom Corps
Trying to start the year off on a light note I have been shunning the press and watching some of
Barney's Home Page movies. Much better jurnalistic quallity then Nightline!!
